Telmereth

Yes I think so...someone else will have to confirm that though, since I don't have cable! A lot of people pay for Sky (satellilte TV) I think it's more popular than cable here.You can get a limited selection of digital channels if you get something called Freeview which most new TVs come with and doesn't have a subscription - you just have to buy the box.

Random fact - if your TV is totally battery operated and you don't plug it into the mains whilst watching, you don't need a license!

Carolingian

Random fact - if your TV is totally battery operated and you don't plug it into the mains whilst watching, you don't need a license!

Really? You are lucky, then - in Germany, that does not make a difference (in fact, you have to pay as soon as you have anything capable of somehow receiving radio and/or TV, including internet computers, mobile phones, car radios, etc.).

LyanneB1

So, do you have to pay for a TV license in ADDITION to paying for cable TV?

Yes, if you have equipment to recieve a TV signal, ie a TV and an ariel, you have to have a TV license. For that you get BBC1 & 2, ITV, & Channels 4 & 5. If you have equipment to recieve Freeview Digital channels, ie a freeview box or a new digital TV, you will get at least 52 tv & 34 radio channels. More all the time, according to the Freeview site.

In Canada, we have the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It's kind of like the BBC (except that it's pathetically bad for everything except sports), in that it is a not-for-profit enterprise. However, it is supported by taxpayers directly. By the TV license, the BBC is supposedly supported mostly by people who actually watch it.

If all I had to watch was the CBC, I'd certainly not bother buying a TV.

I love the CBC. Their sports coverage is 2nd to none and there is a huge difference watching HNIC and Olympics than on other networks.

I also love their documentaries and news mags and they've done a good job of movies over the last several years. I loved Barbra Frum and I think Peter Mansbridge is the sexiest bald man on the face of the planet.

In Canada, we have the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It's kind of like the BBC (except that it's pathetically bad for everything except sports), in that it is a not-for-profit enterprise. However, it is supported by taxpayers directly. By the TV license, the BBC is supposedly supported mostly by people who actually watch it.

If all I had to watch was the CBC, I'd certainly not bother buying a TV.

A bit OT, but I actually like the CBC. It has good documentaries on sometimes, and also I have a liiiittle crush on George Stromboulopolous

And there's Air Farce, 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer.

What I love about the CBC is it is a solid proponent for Canada and our culture in TV programming. I saw Peter Mansbridge in person lecturing at U. of Calgary when I was a student there. Did I mention that he's sexy?? They have the most on location news reporters around the world than any Canadian network. In fact, CBC was the first to report the VTech shooting.

When G. Bush visited Canada a few years ago, Lloyd Robertson lead into his broadcast with the visit of the President. CBC lead in with the death of Pierre Burton, a Canadian icon author and the story of Bush visiting 2nd. Canada comes first on CBC. I like that.

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thechaosfairy

Latecoming... as regards TV fees, I do have to say that if I could exchange my $50 monthly cable fee in the US (which I mostly use to watch the Food Network, and year-old BBC shows) for a $250-ish yearly fee allowing me to get the BBC shows right away... I'd do it in a heartbeat.

In Canada, we have the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It's kind of like the BBC (except that it's pathetically bad for everything except sports), in that it is a not-for-profit enterprise. However, it is supported by taxpayers directly. By the TV license, the BBC is supposedly supported mostly by people who actually watch it.

If all I had to watch was the CBC, I'd certainly not bother buying a TV.

A bit OT, but I actually like the CBC. It has good documentaries on sometimes, and also I have a liiiittle crush on George Stromboulopolous

And there's Air Farce, 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer.

What I love about the CBC is it is a solid proponent for Canada and our culture in TV programming. I saw Peter Mansbridge in person lecturing at U. of Calgary when I was a student there. Did I mention that he's sexy?? They have the most on location news reporters around the world than any Canadian network. In fact, CBC was the first to report the VTech shooting.

When G. Bush visited Canada a few years ago, Lloyd Robertson lead into his broadcast with the visit of the President. CBC lead in with the death of Pierre Burton, a Canadian icon author and the story of Bush visiting 2nd. Canada comes first on CBC. I like that.

Air Farce is resting on its laurels, and Mercer? Funny, if you consider snideness to be sidesplitting.

It's a matter of taste, but I think Canadian culture could be much better represented than the CBC does. I note that very few of the CBC's programs are ever picked up by other countries, which I think is indicative.

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My cousin's memoir of love and loneliness while raising a child with multiple disabilities will be out on Amazon soon! Know the Night, by Maria Mutch, has been called "full of hope, light, and companionship for surviving the small hours of the night."

In Canada, we have the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It's kind of like the BBC (except that it's pathetically bad for everything except sports), in that it is a not-for-profit enterprise. However, it is supported by taxpayers directly. By the TV license, the BBC is supposedly supported mostly by people who actually watch it.

If all I had to watch was the CBC, I'd certainly not bother buying a TV.

A bit OT, but I actually like the CBC. It has good documentaries on sometimes, and also I have a liiiittle crush on George Stromboulopolous

And there's Air Farce, 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer.

What I love about the CBC is it is a solid proponent for Canada and our culture in TV programming. I saw Peter Mansbridge in person lecturing at U. of Calgary when I was a student there. Did I mention that he's sexy?? They have the most on location news reporters around the world than any Canadian network. In fact, CBC was the first to report the VTech shooting.

When G. Bush visited Canada a few years ago, Lloyd Robertson lead into his broadcast with the visit of the President. CBC lead in with the death of Pierre Burton, a Canadian icon author and the story of Bush visiting 2nd. Canada comes first on CBC. I like that.

Air Farce is resting on its laurels, and Mercer? Funny, if you consider snideness to be sidesplitting.

It's a matter of taste, but I think Canadian culture could be much better represented than the CBC does. I note that very few of the CBC's programs are ever picked up by other countries, which I think is indicative.

Didn't The Kids in the Hall run on the CBC? Their show got picked up for broadcast here in the US. I used to be a big ol' KITH junkie back in the day.

Yes (and so did the Red Green Show), but I wouldn't call it more than a drop in the bucket out of all the failed CBC attempts.

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My cousin's memoir of love and loneliness while raising a child with multiple disabilities will be out on Amazon soon! Know the Night, by Maria Mutch, has been called "full of hope, light, and companionship for surviving the small hours of the night."

Yes (and so did the Red Green Show), but I wouldn't call it more than a drop in the bucket out of all the failed CBC attempts.

I think calling them 'failed' attempts is a bit extreme. Shows like Kids In The Hall, and The Red Green show have more general topics and are more appealing to an international audience. Programs like Air Farce are hugely popular, but they are about Canadian politics. They just don't translate well. Same for a fair number of others with 'Canadian' themes. I mean honestly, who else is going to snort milk up their nose at a Jean Chretien joke??

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You are only young once. After that you have to think up some other excuse.